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TeleBlend, a division of USA Telephone (run by United Systems Access Telecom), announced on Friday plans to acquire limited strategic assets of SunRocket (News - Alert), a VoIP service provider that ceased operations earlier this month, leaving about 200,000 subscribers stranded.

 

Apparently a fairly new entrant to the VoIP services market, TeleBlend has been making headlines all week with its efforts to bail out former SunRocket customers. As of Friday morning, www.myteleblend.net displayed a home page targeted specifically at former SunRocket customers, touting soon-to-be-launched “More Phone Service. Less Money.”

 

TeleBlend’s Web site specifies that the company is offering former SunRocket customers VoIP service for $12.95 per month for the remainder of their SunRocket contract. These customers also can continue using their existing hardware and phone number. The regular, non-discounted VoIP service from TeleBlend is $19.95 with no contracts or startup fees.

 

SunRocket’s Web site, which when shutdown occurred was at first unchanged (displaying subscription and rate information for inexpensive VoIP services) was later updated with a note regarding discontinuation of services.

 

The message on www.sunrocket.com was apparently updated again Friday morning (July 27), dictating that SunRocket service will be completely discontinued no later than August 5. The company in its message referred customers to two unnamed service providers that “are assisting and offering to provide SunRocket customers the opportunity to sign up for their services.”

 

TMCnet blogger Tom Keating reported on July 20 that those two providers are 8x8, Inc. (Packet8 VoIP) and Vonage (News - Alert). Keating also noted the apparent newness of TeleBlend; the company’s WHOIS record (details about its www.teleblend.net Web site) was created July 18, 2007.

 

In its Friday announcement, TeleBlend said that its asset purchase of SunRocket, set in motion by the signing of a definitive agreement, was negotiated with the assistance of Sherwood Partners, LLC. The deal is expected to close shortly, the company said.

 

Sherwood Partners co-managing member Martin Pichison said that the firm’s focus continues to be ensuring an easy transition for former SunRocket customers to a comparable VoIP service, and the agreement between SunRocket and TeleBlend is an important step in that direction.

 

“Most importantly, it ensures they will not only have service continuity, but also a robust, reliable broadband phone service alternative going forward,” Pichison said in a statement, of the agreement and its expected effect on former SunRocket customers.

Also in the Friday announcement was the explanation that TeleBlend is jointly managed by Unified Communications (News - Alert) Corp. and USA Telephone (a competitive local exchange carrier that was founded in 1999 and is based in Kennebunk, Maine).

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